Motion picture camera with exposure meter



Aug. 12, 1941. L LEITZ E'FAL 2,252,5'Z3

MOTION PICTURE CAMERA WITE EXPOSURE METER Filed March 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 wax Aug. 12, 1941; L. LEITZ ETAL' MOTION PICTURE CAMERA WITH EXPOSURE METER Filed March 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Patented Aug. 12, 1941 MOTION PICTURE CAMERA WITH EXPOSURE METER Ludwig Leitz, Helmut Becker, and Heinrich Broschke, Wetzlar, Germany, assignors, by mesne assignments. to Frank Dumur, Lausanne, Switzerland Application March 25, 1939, Serial No. 264,102

In Germany April 1, 1938 1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to improvements in motion picture-cameras with exposure meters. In the art it has been proposed to connect for instance the iris diaphragm or the picture frequency governor with the photoelectric cell of the exposure meter whereby to regulate either the diaphragm or the governor. However,

in a moving picture camera the light intensity may alo be varied by adjustment of the shutter sector so that also the latter must be considered. To connect these aforementioned camera ele- 'ments to the-photoelectric cell leads to the disadvantage that the inherently relatively weak current of the cell cannot be utilized to its full capacity for light measuring purposes. I

It is the object of this invention to eliminate such disadvantages by providing a pointer which is operatively connected to the camera elements and which is caused to be moved into registry with the galvanometer needle to indicate the extent or limit to which the camera elements are to be adjusted to accord with the exposure value posure meter arranged and constructed'as here inafter set forth and as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side view of so much of a motion v picture camera with exposure meter according to this invention as is necessary for an understanding thereof. Parts are in section and parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a partial front view of the camera with parts broken away and partly sectioned. A

Fig. 3 is a detail view of parts shown in Fi 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view of certain scale elements. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but shows a modification.

Fig. 6 is a partial front view of the camera in Fig. 5 with parts in section and partsbroken away.

Fig. 'l is a top view of parts of Fig. 5 with portions in section and broken away.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the camera as such is marked I. The .photoelectric cell is indicated generally at 2 with-the galvanometer needle 3 which moves over the usual scale 4. Suitably pivoted to the camera casingat I there is provided a scissor like mechanism, one leg of which is formed by the pointer 5 with a cam member l2. The other leg of the scissor is formed (Cl. 95-10i' by a lever 6 also with a cam member I3. The

lever 6 engages the diaphragm setting lever. ID

of the objective ill by means of a spring 9. The two cams l2 and I3 are by a spring 8 held in en- 5 gagement with a cone point upon the end of a slidable bar l5. The latter is operated by means of a bell crank [6 which in turn engages an annular groove [1 in the vertically slidable cam sleeve l8. The latter is axially slidably carried 10 on a shutter setting shaft 22 by means of a pin 23 and groove 24. v The sleeve l8 has a cam groove 2! which is engaged by a pin 20 which in turn is carried by t the rotatable sleeve 45. The latter extends up wardly outside the camera casing where it forms a scale disk 38. A knob 31 serves to rotate the sleeve 45. The latter is provided with a circular cam is for raising and lowering a lever 39 pivoted at 46. This lever engages the disk 41 of the governor 40 which regulates the picture frequency.

' The shutter setting shaft 22 is rotated by a knob 36. At its lower end the shaft carries a grooved disk 25 which is engaged by a pin 26 in 2 a swingable lever 21, see Fig. 3. The free end 48 of this lever engages a flanged sleeve 28. The

latter has a pin 23 which engages a slot 30 in the hollow shaft 32 and a slot 3| in the inner shaft 33-whereby the shutter wings 34 and 35 are adjusted in a known manner. The shaft 32 has a worm gear for driving the governor shaft 49. The shutter setting shaft 22 is held in a normal lower positionby a spring 42 and has 9. lug H which engages suitable sockets in the sleeve 45 35 as shown.

When a picture is to be made the photoelectric cell is aimed at the object in the usual manner and the galvanometer needle 3 then makes a 'deflection. Thereafter the camera elements may be 49 adjusted by the devices described above whereby to cause a movement of the auxiliary pointer 5 until it registers with the needle 3. In this manner it is possible to adjust the camera elements until their respective positions correspond to the 5 .exposure' value indicated by the galvanometer needle 3. v

The scale disk 38 is provided with atime exposure scale 90 and the camera is provided with 4 a shutter opening scale 9! and a picture ire- 50 quency scale 92. r The knob 36 carries a forked pointer 93. A window 94 in the scale. disk shows the pictures per second at which the camera is operated.

The diaphragm opening and the speed of the shutter are the two elements which determine for each exposure.

the exposure if we disregard the speed of the film itself. The governor regulates the picture frequency. The light intensity value indicated by the deflection of the galvanometer needle must therefore be distributed between the diaphragm and the shutter. These elements are adjusted as follows. If we start with the diaphragm because a particular focal depth is desired then the diaphragm lever is moved to adjust the diaphragm opening in a well known manner and this movement is transmitted to the pointer 5 by way of the scissorslike mechanism I2-|3 so that the pointer 5 is moved closer to the needle 3 after the latter has been deflected by exposure of the cell 2. Thereafter the shutter is regulated so as to use up the remaining light value. This is done by lifting the knob 36 and shaft 22 whereby to disengage the same from the sleeve 45 at 4!. One may now rotate the shaft 22 independent of the sleeve 45. During such rotation the sleeve 18 is also rotated by way of the pin 23 and groove 24 whereby sleeve i8 is moved axially by way of groove 2i moving over the pin 20 so that the bell crank I6 is actuated to move the cone point l4 axially to adjust the pointer until it registers with the needle 3. Simultaneously therewith and automatically the rotation of disk ,25 on shaft 22 actuates the lever 21 whereby to adjust the shutter in accordance with the extent of adjustment of the cone point. The rotation of shaft 22 therefore accomplishes two results in that the pointer 5 is brought into register with the needle 3 and in accordance therewith the shutter is adjusted. One may also rotate the sleeve 45 independent of the shaft 22. In such case the sleeve I8 is again moved axially by way of the pin 20 and groove 2| to adjust the cone point I4 and at the same time the circular cam 19 actuates the lever 39 to adjust the governor, that is the shutter speed is adjusted in accordance with the movement of the pointer 5. The adjustment of the shutter-via rotation of the shaft 22 adjusts the opening between the shutter blades. The adjustment of the governor via the rotation of the sleeve 45 adjusts the speed or the length of time during which the objective is uncovered In both cases the shutter adjustment is in accord with the remaining movement of the pointer 5 to bring it into register with the needle 3.

Thereafter one lets go of the knob 36 which then again is coupled to the scale plate at 41 by the spring 42. The rotation of the knob 36 has not disturbed whatever frequency figure appears in the window 94 in Fig. 4. The rotation of the scale plate has caused another frequency figure to appear in said window. Be that as it may, if such figure does not indicate the correct frequency then either knob 36 or knob 31 may be grasped to rotate the scale plate whereby to cause the correct frequency figure to appear in the window 94, it being remembered that the two members 36 and 31 during such rotation are coupled together at 4| and therefore move together. This rotation will not affect the position of the cone point l4 because there is no axial movement of the sleeve i8. It will however, cause rotation of the circular cam l9, hence the speed governor will be adjusted to accord with the frequency desired. From this it will be seen that when the diaphgram and the shutter are regulated, the operation is stepwise so far as the movement'of the pointer 5 is concerned whereby the shutter and diaphragm are each separately regulated in accordance with the indicated light intensity value. Incidentally and with obvious advantage 9. picture frequency is automatically indicated and if not correct, the governor is regulated to produce the correct frequency by operation of the same elements which are used to adjust the shutter.

Referring now to Figs. 5, 6 and '7 the same elements as in the preceding figures are marked with the same numbers. As shown in Fig. 6 the scissor like mechanism includes an arm 58 in one piece with the lever 6 and another arm 59 in one piece with the auxiliary pointer 5. The arms have pins which engage respectively two cams 52 and 63 on the end of a shaft 5| which at its other end carries a gear 61. The gear 61 engages a circular gear 58 which is carried by a short shaft 69. The latter carries in addition the shutter setting knob 12 and a smaller gear 10. The knob 12 carries a time exposure scale 8| adapted to register with an index 82. The knob is held in normal raised position by a spring II. By depressing the knob, lugs 14 thereon engage a key 13 to lock the knob against rotation.

On opposite. sides of the gear 10 there is a rack in mesh with said gear, see Fig. 7. One rack 15 engages as shown at 5| 8. bell crank 11 which is pivoted at 52. The bell crank engages the disk 4! of the governor 40. The other rack 16 engages as shown at 53 a lever 18 pivoted at 54 and which lever serves to adjust the shutter wings 34' and 35 by means at 55 and which are similar to the same means shown in Fig. 1.

The operation is similar to that described for Fig. 1.

In this case let it be assumed that one desires to make an exposure in accordance with a given light intensity value. Then first the knob 12 is rotated, .without'axial movement, until the desired exposure index on scale 81 is brought into register with the index 82. This rotation causes the pointer 5 to be moved towards the needle 3 by way of the gears 68 and 61, the shaft 6|, the cams 52 and 63, and the scissor mechanism 58 and 59. Thereafter the handle I0 is operated to adjust the diaphragm on objective H until the two pointers register with each other. At the same time however, the rotation of knob I2 also rotates the gear I0, hence the two racks l5 and 16 have been movedand accordingly the governor 40 has been adjusted via the bell crank 11 and the shutter has been adjdsted via the lever 18. The rack 15 carries a picture frequency scale 83 and the rack 16 carries a shutter opening scale 84. When the knob 12 is rotated and the racks moved as aforesaid it may happen that the scale 83 does not show the desired frequency figure. To correct this the knob 12 is depressed whereby to couple it with the key 13 to lock the knob against rotation. Thereafter the knob 12 and shaft 69 are moved laterally, the circular gear 58 sliding in the teeth on gear 61, to slide the racks until the desired frequency figure on scale 83 becomes visible. Such lengthwise movement of the racks does not influence the position of the pointer 5 because shaft 6| is not rotated thereby. Such movement will however cause further adjustment of the governor and the shutter. One may of course also proceed as explained under Fig. 3.

That is the diaphragm may be adjusted at I! to bring the pointer towards the needle. Thereafter the knob 12 is rotated, without axial movement, to adjust the shutter and governor until the shutter sector adjustment means, governor ad- Justment means, mechanism operativelyconnecting said diaphragm adjustment means with said pointer to move the latter a distance towards the deflected needle to indicate the adjusted value of said diaphragm, a coupling member for selectively operatively connecting said pointer with the shutter sector adjustment means or with the governor adjustment means and means for manually actuating said coupling member to move said pointer an additional distance into registry with said needle and simultaneously therewith to adjust either the shutter or the governor to accord with the adjusted value of a diaphragm.

' LUDWIG LEITz.

HELMUT BECKER. HEINRICH BROSCHKE. 

